John Hampden
John Hampden | |
|---|---|
| Committee of Safety | |
| In office July 1642 – June 1643 † | |
| Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire | |
| In office April 1640 – December 1643 † | |
| Member of Parliament for Wendover | |
| In office 1624–1629 | |
| Member of Parliament for Grampound | |
| In office 1621–1622 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. June 1595 London, England |
| Died | 24 June 1643 (aged 48) Thame, Oxfordshire |
| Resting place | Great Hampden |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Symeon (1619–1631) Letitia Knollys (1640–1643) |
| Relations | Oliver Cromwell; |
| Children | Ann (1616–1701); Elizabeth (1619–1643); John (1621–1642); William (died 1675); Ruth (1628–1687); Mary (1630–1689); Richard (1631–1695) |
| Parent(s) | William Hampden (1570–1597); Elizabeth Cromwell (1574–1664); |
| Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Politician, military officer |
| Signature | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Parliamentarians |
| Branch/service | Infantry |
| Years of service | 1642–43 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | Hampden’s Regiment of Foot |
| Battles/wars | |
John Hampden (c. June 1595 – 24 June 1643) was an English politician and military officer who was killed fighting for Parliament in the First English Civil War. An ally of Parliamentarian leader John Pym, and a cousin of Oliver Cromwell, he was one of the Five Members whom Charles I of England tried to arrest in January 1642, a significant step in the outbreak of fighting in August. All five are commemorated at the State Opening of Parliament each year.
When the war began in August 1642, Hampden raised an infantry regiment for the Parliamentarian cause. His death on 18 June 1643 after being wounded in the Battle of Chalgrove Field was considered a significant loss, largely because Hampden acted as a bridge between the different Parliamentarian factions.
His early death meant Hampden avoided the ideological splits that led to the execution of Charles I in January 1649, and establishment of the Commonwealth of England. Combined with a reputation for honest, principled, and patriotic opposition to arbitrary rule, in 1841 his statue was erected in the rebuilt Palace of Westminster, representing the Parliamentarian cause. Prior to the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams were among those who referenced him to justify their cause.